The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ
By Suzanne Choi
For this Feast Day, which commemorates the Transfiguration of Jesus, I would like to showcase (below) a Bible study method that I have personally found very compelling. I am certain that I am not the only person that has ever used this method; in fact, maybe others of you have tried this, and there may even be some published works that employ this very strategy, but I have greatly enjoyed and benefitted from the practice of this approach for my own devotional life.
What I am describing is a joining together of the gospel accounts, with all of their various details, into one somewhat-cohesive narrative, and I would like to use the account of the Transfiguration as a model for this type of study. My hope is that you would find the final product meaningful, see the value of the method, and maybe try it for yourself, if you haven’t already, for some gospel passages that you would like to understand better.
But first, a little relevant background: if you study the Bible often, you are likely aware of the similarities and differences of the gospel records. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels, from the Greek word synoptikos, meaning “able to be seen together,” and they largely cover the same material and tend to share a similar perspective to one another. They do have many noticeable differences but, in general, there are so many similarities between them, it is believed that they either all three shared at least one common source or else one of them was a primary source for the other two.
The apostle John, however, took a different route in his testimony of Jesus’ life and ministry. He includes a lot of material (based on witness accounts, including his own, as he explains) which are absent from the synoptics. And the Gospel of John’s chronology does not often match that of the synoptic gospel writers. In fact, he often seems to write according to themes rather than following a strict timeline of events.
This dynamic of the similarities and differences in the gospel narratives is true in the passage we will look at today. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all recorded Jesus’ Transfiguration. But, ironically, John -- who was not only an eyewitness to the event but who also wrote extensively on the theme of Jesus and light -- did not include the Transfiguration at all in his gospel. Thus, what I am creating below is a compilation of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but does not include anything from John.
I am using the English Standard Version of the Bible for this demonstration. And here is the color coding system I am using:
Bold underlined font is for places where the wording of the three synoptic gospels is exactly the same.
Regular underlined font is for wording shared by two of the gospels, but not all three.
Bold is for Matthew only.
Italicized is for Mark only.
Regular is for Luke only.
These latter three fonts are for interesting details, descriptions, or wording included by only one of the gospel writers. (These orange/green/blue unique additions are often the most interesting to me, giving insights that can vary, depending on who all the gospel writers interviewed and how they wrote their accounts.)
Rather than being confusing, I hope that the resulting combination will offer you insight into the passage and a deeper appreciation of both Scripture and the event of Jesus’ Transfiguration.
Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36
And after six days [Now about eight days after these sayings] Jesus [he] took with him Peter and James, and John his brother [John and James] and led them up a high mountain by themselves [and went up on the mountain to pray]. And he was transfigured before them [as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered] and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light [and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them] {and his clothing became dazzling white}. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him [Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus] {two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah} who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord [Rabbi] {Master}, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents [If you wish, I will make three tents here], one for you and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified [-- not knowing what he said]. And he was still speaking when, behold, [As he was saying these things], a bright cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud [a voice from the cloud said] {saying}, “This is my beloved Son, my Chosen One, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.[!]” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. [And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.] {And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.}
And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded [he charged] them, “Tell no one the vision, [to tell no one what they had seen] until the Son of Man is raised [had risen] from the dead.” And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And the disciples [they] asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered [and he said to them], “Elijah does come, [first] and he will [to] restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.” So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Collect for the Transfiguration (BCP 2019, p. 630)
O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Did it feel helpful to read these gospel texts in a compiled manner like this, or did it feel too convoluted? Is this a type of Scripture study that you would ever want to do on your own?
What, if anything, did you observe in the accounts of the Transfiguration that perhaps have never stood out to you before?
What do you think was the meaning of the Transfiguration for Jesus? For Moses and Elijah? For the disciples who were there? Does it have a certain meaning to you?
Is there anything you learned from or about Jesus or the disciples here that impacts your everyday living?
Resources:
https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/synoptic-gospels
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2017&version=ESV
https://bible.org/seriespage/2-major-differences-between-john-and-synoptic-gospels